Gingerbread Pirates (Catch Me If You Can)
by Nameless-Anonymous-Author
Summary: She is the most wanted pirate in the seven seas. He is the Admiral of the Imperial Navy, determined to bring her in. AU
1. Chapter 1

disclaimer: standard

beta: PerfectlyPrecious

* * *

She was the most wanted woman on all the Seven Seas. Hell, she was the most wanted person. The bounty on her head was greater than the next two combined. She commanded a ship of all women, something unheard of. Civilians, fellow pirates, and the imperial navy all recognized the distinct sail of her ship.

In her wanted poster, she was young and beautiful. Lips were curled into an alluring smile, with hazel eyes set into an olive-colored face. Her hair was tied into twin buns on the top of her head. She wore a plain, silver piercing in her right ear.

She went by the name of Tenten, and she was the captain of The Kunoichi's Revenge.

* * *

"Today seems like the perfect day for a sea battle doesn't it, Sakura?" Tenten glanced over at her first mate. The pink haired woman was busy working at retying several shoddy knots. The deck was busy with bustling crew members, cleaning the ship or their weapons. There was even a pair sparring with sabers, to the particular annoyance of someone mopping the floor.

The sky was overcast with a thick mass of grey clouds. The sun remained hidden, save a few rays that pierced through. There was a strong yet unpredictable wind, and the ocean was mostly calm, with several choppy waves hinting at roughness to come. The scent of salt filled the air and the sharp cries of seagulls resounded.

Sakura looked doubtfully from to sky to her captain. "It's going to storm Captain."

Tenten smiled, small but terrifying. "Exactly, Sakura."

* * *

There was lively chatter and elegant music. There was a flurry of uniforms and dresses inside a magnificent ballroom. A spectacular chandelier hung right above their heads, illuminating the massive ballroom. There were refreshments and drinks in a corner, and musicians playing sweetly in another. It was a grand ball.

A young man, dressed in an officer's uniform, was talking to a fine, young couple. The young man had dark brown hair cut short and eyes as white and cold as snow. His posture bespoke of confidence, but not arrogance. After the couple excused themselves to dance, the young man made his way to the refreshments table. Along the way, he was intercepted by a much older man dressed in a uniform with many more honors, stripes, and badges pinned to it.

"Congratulations on the promotion, son." The man held out a hand, and the young man shook it firmly.

"Thank you, sir."

The older man smiled. "Admiral, right?"

The young man nodded, "Yes. I am Admiral Hyūga Neji of the Imperial Navy."

The smile turned to a laugh. "It never feels as sweet on the tongue as the first time. Trust me." He paused, "So tell me, Admiral Hyūga, what is your first order of business?"

Neji straightened. "I am going to capture Pirate Captain Tenten, sir."

The older man arched an eyebrow. "Captain Tenten, huh? A dangerous one. Many have said the same thing you have, Admiral, and all have failed."

"I understand, sir," Neji responded solemnly, "but there must be a first for everything."

The older man laughed again, "Indeed, Admiral, indeed. Well then, best wishes to you. I expect great things." He winked, shook hands once more with Neji, and then disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

"Ino, I haven't been able to find the captain ever since we docked!" The panic was evident in Sakura's voice, and she nearly shook her crewman in her desperation for an answer.

The other pirate jerked a thumb behind her. "Captain's on stage, drunk and singing again." The woman took her own swig of alcohol.

"Oh no," Sakura fretted as she moved further into the bar.

Once she passed several drunks and several of her crew members (which were one and the same), Sakura finally located her captain. It was safe to say she heard her before seeing her.

"AND I SAID TO THE LASS, WAIT FOR ME, I'LL BE BACK FOR SURE FOR THAT ASS," Tenten bawled at the top of her longs, horribly off-tune.

"Captain!" Sakura sprang into action and weaved her way through tables and chairs so that she stood in the very front. "Please get off, Captain."

Tenten glared and swayed as she pointed a single finger at Sakura. "No."

"Please Captain," Sakura whispered as she glanced around, luckily there were only three other people in the room and all seemed to be passed out.

"Nu-uh. I wanna sing," Tenten insisted childishly.

Sakura hesitated, but backed off, "A'ight Captain." She turned around and began to make her way back to the front of the bar. Dealing with a drunk captain was only tolerable if she was drunk as well.

A sudden hand clapped onto her rear. A drunken man leered up at her, his yellow and cracked teeth on full display. "Hey there, pretty. I can be your Captain tonight."

Sakura smiled sweetly, but in the next moment a glistening knife was pressed against the man's throat. "Touch me again and I'll force feed you your own hairy, shriveled privates."

Instantly the hand was gone. "I-I didn't mean a-anything about it, lady," he babbled, eyeing the blade nervously. Sakura watched in amusement as sweat began to pour down his face.

"Damn right, but maybe I'll take both of your hands anyways." She applied some pressure to the knife and as it broke the skin a small bead of blood appeared.

"P-Please," the man begged, and a putrid scent filled the air.

"Are you pissing yourself?" Sakura laughed, now tracing a pattern on the man's Adam's apple. "How amusing."

"Sakura." The woman's head snapped up at the sound of her captain's call. "Come here."

Reluctantly, the woman pulled her knife away and sauntered towards her captain. "Yes, Captain?"

"Did you sense that?" Tenten questioned.

Sakura shook her head, "No, Captain."

"Well, I have a suspicion that there is something going on upfront," Tenten shared. She leapt off the stage, and her eyes darted to the doors separating the front of the bar from the back.

"There's no other entrance to escape from, Captain," Sakura reminded worriedly.

Tenten smirked, fingering one of her pouches. "There's always a way to make another entrance, Sakura. But I'm feeling a little feisty today. Let's go see what it's all about up there."

The two woman strode past the other occupants, and Tenten opened the door with a slam.

"See, Sakura," Tenten grinned, "my instincts are never wrong."

Inside the front of the bar, the scene was the aftermath of a struggle. There were tables upturned, pieces of shattered wood everywhere, and overturned bottles leaking alcohol. Military officers—Naval, Tenten surmised, looking at their outfits—outnumbered her pirates two to one. Despite this, the pirates had managed to kill a third and tie up the remaining ones. Some were pilfering through the officers' pockets for money.

"Hey, Captain!" The women greeted her in chorus.

"Hello, ladies. Trying to save all the fun for yourself, eh?" Tenten replied, walking over to the bound group of officers.

"Sorry, Captain, we didn't know it would be this quick." One of the crew who was searching for money replied.

"Why didn't I hear any gunshots, though?" Tenten questioned.

"Who says we used guns to beat these jokes?" Another member retorted, and the pirates erupted into laughter.

Tenten stopped first. "Indeed. Fine job, lasses."

"Don't think you'll get away with this!" A sudden cry from one of the officers drew the attention of all the pirates. They paused in their actions to stare at the fool.

"Reinforcements are coming, and you'll be captured and punished in the name of his Highness!" The officer continued. It was a young, clean shaven man.

"Oh really?" Tenten arched an eyebrow, "and where would this reinforcement be?"

"That would be us, I suppose." A smooth, masculine voice slid into the room. In the doorway to the bar stood another regiment of officers, all with guns drawn. "Captain Tenten, I order you to stand down."

"And who would you be?" Tenten's eyebrow remained high.

"Admiral Hyūga Neji," the man stated. "Now surrender."

Tenten laughed mockingly, the sound ringing throughout the establishment. "Alright, Admiral." She winked. "If you can catch me."

Within the blink of an eye, she had moved, and her entire crew with her. Their legendary speed, agility, and flexibility coming into play as they flipped over the men. Some knocked heads together while others slammed the officers into the ground from behind. Another sliced the tendons in a officer's legs, and the man went down howling. They were a storm of savagery, and none bothered to even draw their guns, opting for other handheld options.

"What's so good about that gun?" Tenten breathed into the admiral's ear, having moved behind him, "if you can't see the target?" Before Neji could whirl around, there was a knife between his ribs and a kick to the back of his knees. He refused to go down and managed to press a barrel to Tenten's head. "Surrender," he commanded frostily.

"Very good, Admiral," Tenten purred, "but I'm afraid I must be going now."

Instantaneously, there was a blistering pain in his arm and he dropped his gun. He stared down in shock at the smoking barrel of Tenten's own gun. Two more shots were fired, and his feet burgeoned with pain.

"Don't let them escape!" He shouted desperately as he collapsed to the floor. He watched helplessly as the women fled the scene, brandishing their weapons or a bottle. Cursing, he slammed a fist on the ground and winced.

"Admiral!"

He opened his mouth to answer, but the words never had a chance to leave before he passed out.

* * *

Neji awoke to a plump, motherly woman gently placing a wet cloth on his forehead. "Where am I?" he questioned, trying to sit up, but the amount of pain at his movement forced him back to a prone position.

"You're safe. You're men brought you back to base, and the doctor says you'll be alright if you don't do much." The woman smiled.

"My men. How are they?"

The woman's smile slipped away. "Some of them didn't make it, dear. Some won't fight again. A couple will be able to continue to defend his Highness after their recovery. Quite a nasty fight you boys got yourself into."

Neji shut his eyes and nodded. "Thank you."

The woman patted Neji's hand, "I am proud to serve my Highness whenever and wherever I can." The chair creaked, and Neji could only assume she rose. "Get some rest, dear."

He had been so close, so close to snatching Tenten. He had been blessed to have been in the right area at the right time. He had recognized the ship and sails that he had studied for years despite the dying sun. Yet she had gotten away, right before his eyes. Either he had vastly underestimated her, or he had vastly overestimated himself.

His self-pity and loathing abruptly ended at a knock on his door.

"Enter," Neji called, forcing himself to at least sit upright.

"Admiral." It was an officer. "I don't know if it is a good time or not—"

Neji cut him off. "Tell me."

"We've caught one, sir. We have one of their crew."

"Take me to her," he demanded, eyes glinting from intensity. "Now."

* * *

When he entered the room, the pirate was bound to a chair with three different sets of rope. Her legs, arms, and torso were secured so that she had no chance to escape. Her face was covered with a bag.

"Take it off," Neji commanded, but even then, her hair obscured her face. Her hair was a strange dark blue color that sparked a feeling of nostalgia in Neji. "What is your name, pirate?"

There was no audible response from the captive, and Neji frowned. "I would advise you to be cooperative."

"How pathetic," the woman finally spoke. Her tone was light, but it in no way subtracted the sharpness of her words, "that the Imperial army would have fallen so far to choose an admiral as weak as you."

Neji's frown deepened. "This is the same Admiral that holds command over your life, pirate."

"The same Admiral that doesn't even recognize his own cousin?" The woman shook her hair away from her face, finally revealing creamy white eyes that resembled his own. "It's been a while, _Neji_."

* * *

Should I continue? Thoughts on the story?


	2. Chapter 2

Beta: none, bewarned

* * *

"Hinata-san." They were hollow words, surfacing from the deep recess of the subconscious. His mouth was guided by a distant muscle memory rather than a conscious thought.

His eyes scanned the woman before him, reaffirming his initial reaction. There was the facial structure that every pureblood Hyuga possessed, and her eyes. There was no mistaking her eyes.

However, the rationale part of his mind rebelled against the thought. Hinata had gone missing 8 years ago at the age of 15. As the first heiress of the richest and oldest clan in all of Konoha, a massive manhunt ensued for months. It was as though she had disappeared off the face of the earth.

And in a way, he guessed, she had. Now he understood. She had been kidnapped and enslaved for the past eight years by that wretched pirate.

"You're free now," he realized, "that woman, that _demon_, – did she hurt you?"

Hinata snorted in a certainly unladylike manner. "You keep disappointing me _cousin_. Do you seriously think Captain kidnapped me? That you've **_liberated _**me?" Wild, high-pitched laughter that made the Admiral inwardly recoil in horror burst forth from the chained woman's mouth.

"I'm done talking." Hinata spat disdainfully, "to a man who would never understand."

"No." Neji, spurred by a righteous authority bestowed upon him by his rank, made a curt refusal. "Hiashi-sama will be here in four hours. Until then, you are going to explain to me what happened that night eight years ago and what has happened over that time. Why did you leave – what could they have given you that we could not? You had the most luxurious life – buttery foods, authentic jewels, fine silks – and you throw it all away to scrub decks!"

There were many time in his life Hyuga Neji was studied, but there was now denying he was unnerved under the critical eye of his cousin.

"I can still see your wings cousin," Hinata whispered, "but now you are blind yourself to what clips them."

"Should I remind you, it is you who are in chains?" Neji replied frostily.

Hinata continued, "Did you know your same _Hiashi-sama_ was going to marry me off five days before I left? Of course not; I wasn't even supposed to know. Forget consent, _my dearest father, _would have held the ceremony without my knowledge. Like a lamb to a slaughter, if I was to be cliché. And in the end it would all be fine, of course, because that is the custom."

"And so you embarrassed your family for your own selfishness?"

Hinata's lips curled into, "I suppose so."

She paused and took in a drag of air before exhaling, and it was not so hard to image a cigarette nestled in her pursed lips. "But can you blame me? Can you blame any man or woman to choose freedom over chains? I would rather have died by the hands of a pirate or at sea, by my own degree, then fattened by those _buttery foods_, adorned in those _authentic jewels_, and on a bed of those _fine silks._ There are masters in this world and slaves, dear cousin. We are both the latter. However, I **_will _**die having lived a life knelt to a master I chose. Can you say the same?"

* * *

"Captain." Sakura spoke with her voice low, and resisted biting her lip as she faced her unusually somber captain. Above them the sky was dark, a darkness that infected the sea below. The wind blew but the ocean was a simmering calm. "What are we going to do about Hinata?"

"We can't return now; not with that town crawling with Navy men." The captain's voice was hard, factual. "We'll have to continue our course; sell our merchandise over near Kiri. Then we're going to head Kusa; I've heard that _Ivy _is the cheapest there and we can cut in some other substances and sell it here. The demand in Konoha is bottomless."

Sakura hesitated. "Captain – Hinata's family..."

"I understand the risks of her return to them Sakura," If she was made of any less steel, Tenten would have sighed, "but we stole her once, we could steal her again."

"It's just not right Captain." Sakura said stubbornly.

"I've seen you kill babies without remorse; I've seen you slaughter little children and the elderly and pregnant women. Are you becoming soft? Do not forget the life we lead and the oath you all took before joining this crew. Do not forget that even you are dispensable."

Sakura ears rang, as though they had been boxed. "I'll take my leave now Captain."

"Best you do Sakura." Tenten's voice drifted to her, as though they were not mere feet away but rather several yards. "Get some rest, the seas will be restless tomorrow. I can feel it."

* * *

_Ivy_ dens were filth, but Tenten supposed it could have been worst. She brutally kicked aside a slumped body, black saliva trailing from the mouth. A side effect of Ivy was that all bodily fluids turned black, as did the areas around the eyes, mouth, and behind the ears.

_Ivy_ was a nasty drug, highly addictive and, with help from people like her, rapidly spreading. Kusa was the center of drugs, and with the recent popularity of Iwa-based _Curo, Ivy _had reestablished their position at the top.

"Ashika! Goddamit Ashika where the hell are you? If you don't drag your ass out here right now, I'm going to blow this place to hell!" Tenten snarled, but even the sound of her roar did not disturb the drug-induced bodies littered around her.

"Ino." Tenten snapped, and the other pirate craned her neck upwards bent over where she was rifling through the pocket of some poor sod.

"Yes captain?"

"Locate Ashika for me, kindly?" Clenched teeth did not bode well for this "Ashika man".

Ino nodded and her mouth muttered a few words under her breath. She pressed a hand against the forehead of the man lying beneath her and her eyes glazed over. After a moment, she answered, lips marred into a frown, "I can't see anything."

Tenten's eyes narrowed. "No need. Bastard's here." She placed a hand on her hip and cocked it, facing to her right, "What the hell made you think you could keep me waiting?"

"900,000 grams of _Ivy_." A dry voice retorted. It was distinctly male, but higher than standard. A thin figure emerged with eyes that burned like lit coals and black robes. "I'm disappointed. I thought you said that she was among the best of the Yamanaka?"

"I am the best." Ino retorted, the acid from her words boring holes in her teeth, "and I would bet my life you used a member of the Jiru clan for that cheap trick."

"Ino. We're here for business." Tenten reminded, and her finger stroked the halter of her gun. "Now I'm in a particularly unpleasant mood today Ashika. Let's hurry on this transaction, shall we?"

It was swift and each party, after insuring the other had not cheated them, went to part ways. However, several words stalled Tenten.

"I heard your lookout, the Hyuga girl, got kidnapped. I've also heard she's being married in a week." Ashika remarked casually.

"And?" Tenten said.

Ashika shrugged, "I supposed you would like to know. Always had a soft spot for that girl." A knowing smile smugly settled itself on his face, "Don't you want to know who the lucky groom is?"

Ino glanced at her Captain. The older woman's eyes were narrowed again, cat-like in both shape and from the gleam inside them. Tenten spoke cautiously, "Her cousin?"

"Not. Even. Close." A pause and Ashika savored this rare moment of power he wielded, "Lord Kabuto from Oto."

Tenten folded her arms across her chest and dug her nails into her forearms. Her lips were pressed into a thin line. "I assume this has not been announced to the general public."

"It has not even been announced to the bride herself. Nor…her father for that matter. Good day, good friend." Before their eyes Ashika vanished back into his lair, a maze of duplicated hallways, dim lighting, and rooms burrowed in _Ivy_-addicted fiends.

The two made their way out of the _Ivy_ den, back into the shadows of the street. The air smelled of smoke and addiction; an acrid taste that paired best with desperation.

"Do you believe him Captain?" Ino had a talent for these things, and though his overall presence bespoke sliminess, she had sensed no deception in his words. "I do."

Those last two words weighed heavily on Tenten for Ino was not one easy to convince. "Just to rescue her, there is a risk to your hide, every member of our crew's hide, _my hide_. All my legends for one measly girl?"

"Konoha has a 200% greater profit turnout rate than the next highest-demanding village, Suna," Ino reminded, "and enforcement is weaker there ever since the _Sukosa _raids gained such negative publicity."

They had reached the docks by now, and Tenten's eyes rested on the most precious thing in the world to her – her legend – her ship. "She will be heavily guarded, by her father's men and Navy men. All bought off no likely."

"Captain, I never knew you were one to back down from a challenge."

Tenten's eyes hardened at the words and Ino resisted the temptation of smiling. Tenten may be her Captain, but there were times when pushing her buttons were worth it. Her pride would be her downfall one day.

"We set sail to Haganakure first then. We'll set up near the Kuro strait and raid some merchant ships. Our inventory has been low for a while."

"Yes Captain!"

* * *

The marble was gelid against his knee, but the man knelt with a seemingly infinite amount of patience. He waited for the man sitting on the throne before him to speak.

"Is everything set Kabuto?" The man's voice was a hissing noise that slithered down to the kneeling man's ears.

"Everything except her cousin Lord Orochimaru. He refuses to hand over command of his cousin, and he is far too righteous to be bought. I fear though that if we kill him so near our…plan, it may cause further complications." Kabuto frowned and reached up to push his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose.

Orochimaru pondered the information for a moment, drumming his fingers with nerve-wracking deliberation as he thought. "You said the pirate, Captain Tenten, has heard of our plot?"

"Yes." Kabuto nodded, "Ashika, my-_our _contact assured me he had informed her."

"No doubt she will attempt to rescue your future bride. Does she not understand that she is providing a perfect scapegoat for us? Leave the Admiral be. Let the pirate do what she wishes. In a matter of a few days they will be dead anyways."

Kabuto stood and bowed, "As you wish, my lord."

* * *

ah this just the beginning of the shitstorm to come. review?


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